Holiday Ornaments Reflect Personalities Choices Boil Down To Traditional, Whimsical

To discover people’s true personalities, either slip them a few eggnogs or check out their Christmas ornaments.

Perhaps now more than ever, the wide spectrum of tree decorations people choose can tell reams.

“Basically, you can tell about family ties … or if someone is more daring or cutting edge,” said Stephen Halfacre, owner of Ormolu gift and decor shop in College Park, Fla.

“These are the ‘90s, and people are reflecting a lot more of their personality when it comes to their trees,” Halfacre said. “They’re being much more daring, much more interesting than they used to be….” Shiny glass balls are passe. For the most part, personality-driven ornaments for this holiday season come in two types: whimsical and traditional.

Shoppers can put their own stamp on trees with leopard-skin-painted ornaments or miniature Barbie dolls bobbing on limbs. Winnie the Pooh has shifted from the honey tree to the evergreen.

And ornaments with an Old World flair have staked a hook on traditionalists’ trees.

Hallmark continues its custom of toying with ornaments. The greeting card company’s shelves have everything from Barbie to “Star Wars.”

One Hallmark retailer said he’s seeing some surprises.

“Believe it or not, it seems like country is doing well,” said Steve Bertrand, owner of Amy’s Hallmark Shop in Orlando.

Dr. Seuss characters have made a comeback, and Winnie the Pooh is “incredibly hot.” Prices range from $4.75 to $42, but the ornaments quickly grow in value, Bertrand said.

For instance, Barbie ornaments that debuted in 1993 for $12.95 are now worth $140 or $150, Bertrand said.

Honey-jar-holding Pooh and his buddies - Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet - are featured ornaments in the holiday Disney catalog. Priced at $24, they are half the price of artist Christopher Radko’s Heirloom Collection of holiday Pooh ornaments in the catalog.

Radko also designed handcrafted Mickey and Minnie ornaments, which retail for $45 each.

Kurt S. Adler Inc. has introduced the Wizard of Oz ornament collection with mouth-blown versions of Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion. They are priced at $47.50 each.

Halfacre expects Old World ornaments to make their mark this year. He said he saw them with tassels, cords, beaded work and sequins when he attended a Christmas decorations convention in Chicago in September. The colors he said, were heavy jewel tones and deep forest green.

That palette often is mixed with a heavy gold, he added.

Linda Lanphear, owner of the Christmas Collection in Altamonte Springs, Fla., said she has seen golds, ivories and reds dominate this holiday season.

“To me, it seems like the traditional colors and schemes are making a comeback,” she said.

Lanphear said mouth-blown glass figurines of people and animals are coming to the United States from Poland and Germany. She described them as being “very nostalgic.

“It’s like the ornaments you used to have as a kid.”